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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. fine — high quality
  3. spring — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. plane — a tool
  6. bore — to tire
  7. land — ground
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spring — of water
  12. land — to come down
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. land — a country
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ground — a position
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fall — the season
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. ground — the earth
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. fine — all right

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com